Apricots: Stone Cold Delicious
Throughout the month of July, fresh apricots are in season at L’OCA Quality Market, and every one of them tastes like summer!
2 min read
L'OCA
Short but Sweet
Are you ready for a burst of summer?
Incredibly sweet and juicy apricots have a short peak season, usually just a few precious weeks around July and early August, and that's when you'll find them at their absolute best inside The Market here at L'OCA.
The apricot season is so brief that there’s a common idiom in Arabic, 'bukra fil mish mish,' which literally translates to 'tomorrow in the apricots' to suggest something that might never happen, just like 'when pigs fly'.
If you blink, you might miss these true summer treats.
Fill your basket before they're gone!
The Ripe Stuff
When you're at L’OCA Quality Market during peak apricot season, look for a rich golden-orange colour, a sign that they've soaked up plenty of sun.
Ripe apricots should give just a little under pressure.
If they’re rock hard, they’re not ready.
If they’re too soft, bruised, or have wrinkled skin, they’re probably past their prime.
Also, don’t be afraid to give your apricots a sniff, especially around their stem ends; you should notice a lovely, sweet fragrance.
What's in a Name?
The word 'apricot' comes from a root meaning 'early-ripening’ fruit.
And as the fruit world keeps evolving, modern breeding programs have brought together the best bits of plums and apricots to create a clever little mash-up, the PLUOT!
These unique fruits are a hybrid of around 75% PLUm and 25% apricOT, which gives them a distinct, often sweeter flavour.
But it doesn't stop there!
An APRIPLUM has the opposite mix: 75% APRIcot and 25% PLUM.
PLUMCOTS or PLUMPICOTS are exactly what they sound like, an even 50/50 blend of both fruits!
Each of these plum/apricot combinations offers something special, so make sure to look for your favourite inside The Market at L'OCA!
Ready for Anything
Fresh apricots capture the pure taste of summer in every bite.
With a delightful tangy and sweet flavour, they make a perfect, healthy snack straight from the fridge; just give them a quick wash right before you plan to eat them.
Beyond snacking, apricots are great with savoury dishes, like roasted lamb, glazed ham, juicy chicken, or rich duck.
For desserts, gently poaching them truly makes them shine, and grilling caramelises them perfectly.
Due to their brief peak season, dried apricots offer a fantastic way to keep that pure taste of summer going. They're incredibly handy, available all year round, last for months, and are so perfectly shelf-stable they even travelled to outer space on the Apollo 15 and Apollo 17 moon missions.